29

"Master!" Harry heard Erza cry out shortly before everyone else. Harry ran over to him to see what was wrong and saw that he was pale and looked sick. He only found out what was wrong when he heard Makarov say that his magic was gone.

"Gone…?!" Harry said breathlessly in shock. Erza was now kneeling next to him. She has a dreadful look on her face, like she was going to do something she didn't want to, but she was too worried about the master to do anything else.

While Harry ignored the fighting behind him, he was thinking he needed to learn healing spells for when things like this happen. He knows that healing magic is no longer around – or used – but some of the potions in the potions book he got a while back had some that were brewed for healing. Maybe he could found out what kinds of plants and parts he could use to replace the ones that no longer exist. 'I could try to ask Porlyusica to teach me, but I have heard she's crazy and hates people,' Harry mused. 'Or I could ask Fawkes. I at least know he won't kill me,' Harry laughed nervously mentally.

"Retreat!" Erza called out loudly, making Harry jump out of his thoughts in surprise. "Go back to the guild!" she ordered.

"What, no way am I leaving!" Natsu shouted angrily.

"Men don't run away!" Elfman said shortly after.

"I can still fight!"

"Me too!" Macao and a few others said.

"We cannot defeat Jose without the master!" Erza said to reason with everyone. Harry can understand where she was coming from; even he knows that none of them can take on all of phantom and then their master. "We're retreating, that's an order!"

No one liked it, but some did start to leave the guild hall, but others like Natsu and Gray wanted to stay behind and fight, but Erza was able to get Gray to agree to leave. Harry handed Makarov to Erza, and was about to leave when he saw Natsu grab a Phantom Lord mage with a snarl on his face.

"You're coming with me," Natsu growled, making Harry wonder what was going on with his friend.

"Natsu, what are you doing?" Happy asked while hovering above him.

"What does it look like? I'm going to save Lucy!" Natsu answered.

"Lucy was kidnapped?" Harry said softly in surprise. He looked back to his retreating guild, and then to Natsu who was going the other way. He kept looking between the large group and the much smaller one, wondering which of the two he should follow. After laying eyes on Makarov, Harry made his decision; he turned to follow Natsu.

Harry couldn't explain it, but when he saw his master he knew he would be fine. He knows that magical exhaustion can kill, and it's more likely to kill when the mage is older, but he feels like it's not the old man's time yet. He trusted his instincts, and left Makarov in the capable hands of Erza and the others of his guild while he helped Natsu get Lucy back.

"Natsu wait up!" Harry said. Natsu and Happy paused and turned to face him. "I'm coming with you," he told them. "I heard you say that you're going to save Lucy, and I'm not about to let you go on your own."

Natsu grinned in thanks. "Come on then, I just got this guy to tell us where she is," he said. Harry was grinning with him.

"Let's go!" Harry exclaimed.

"Aye sir!" Happy and Natsu said together.

"NATSU!" Harry, Happy, and Natsu heard the shout of Lucy's voice call out. Harry thought he heard hope and desperation in her voice, but he couldn't think on it, because what he saw nearly gave him a heart attack; Lucy was falling from a very high place with her hands tied behind her back. Did she jump or did someone push her?!

Natsu, being the quickest, charged and dived forward and was able to catch Lucy on time. Harry was next to them while trying to recover from the fear of losing a friend. Once he calmed his racing heart, he glared at Lucy with half-hearted heat.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Harry shouted in worry and anger. "Please tell me someone pushed you and you didn't jump from the top of that thing!" He pointed to the tower next to them while yelling.

Lucy started to sweat in nervousness. She looked away from him and said, "I did jump," she admitted. She quickly turned back to face him. "I can explain! I knew you guys were coming, because I heard Natsu's voice." Harry wants to know how she heard it. He remembered being still too far away when Natsu called out to her.

"How did you hear that? We were still far way," Harry stated. Natsu, who got out from under the blond mage, nodded his head in agreement, knowing that normal people don't have as good of ears as him.

"I just…have good hearing," Lucy answered. Harry can tell she isn't lying, but he does get the feeling that she isn't telling them everything. He sighed and nodded, deciding that he won't press for more information.

Harry took the ropes off of Lucy's wrist, and Natsu held up a hand to help her up. "Come on, let's get back to the guild," Natsu said. "Even though I would love nothing more than to destroy this place, but Harry talked me out of it."

"How did he do that?" Lucy asked, and looked over to Harry.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I told him that we needed to get you and then go back before the others start to get really worried, because I'm sure that Castor told everyone by now that you were kidnapped. Going back would put everyone at ease, knowing that you're safe," he explained.

"So, let's go!" Natsu said again, while still holding his hand out to her.

Lucy took it and got up from the ground. "How did you know I was kidnapped?" she asked.

"Natsu heard about it and we came to get you after the rest of the guild retreated. Master got his magic drained, but I know he'll be fine. Don't know how I do though…" Harry muttered the last part to himself, not noticing Lucy horrified expression. "Anyway, we should get going before any Phantom Lord idiots show up and recapture you all over again," he told her, now noticing her sad look.

Lucy's head is bowed down, and Harry had to strain to hear what she said, because he doesn't have Natsu and Happy's hearing. "Sorry…" This only confused the three more. "I'm sorry," Lucy said again, but sounding more heart-breaking.

Harry, Natsu, and Happy all looked to each other, trying to see if any of them knew what she was talking about. When they saw that they are all just as confused as the other they looked back at their friend.

"It's all…my fault," Lucy chocked on a sob. Harry goes to kneel next to her and places a hand on her shoulder. He was about to say something, but she continued talking. "But I…still want to stay…in the guild." She turned to all three of them. "I love being in Fairy Tail!" she proclaimed.

Harry and his two other friends were just getting more confused. 'What is she talking about? Why would she say that she wants to stay, but make it sound like she couldn't? Why is she saying she's sorry? This isn't her fault no matter what anyone says,' Harry questioned to himself, knowing full well that he's not going to get answers by being silent about them.

Instead of voicing his list of questions, both he and Natsu try to comfort her for a few moments. "Natsu, Harry, let's head back," Happy said, trying to hold back his own tears.

Harry and Natsu nodded in agreement. Natsu helped Lucy back up, and they left to go back to the guild. All the while Harry felt that there was murder in the air, but didn't know where or who it came from. Shaking his head to clear it, Harry followed his friends back to their guild hall. If he had looked up, he would have seen the murderous look on the face of the master of Phantom Lord.

The moment Harry walked through the door to the basement of the Fairy Tail guild, a small blur crashed into him, knocking him down to the floor. He heard Lucy, Happy, and Natsu ask if he was okay, which he was, and got up to see what or rather who crashed into him. It turned out the white-ish blur was a sobbing Castor.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't able to protect Lucy!" he cried onto him.

Harry was confused as to why his son is this upset, so he looks over to his familiar for an answer. Fawkes shrugs his wings.

{I told him that you wouldn't be mad, but he still feels guilty for not being there to protect her,} he explained.

Harry turned his attention back on his son and pats him on the head to ruffle his light blond hair, making the six years old complain. "Don't worry so much," he said. "While everyone was retreating back to the guild, Natsu, Happy, and I went somewhere else. Natsu heard that Lucy was taken, so we went after her, and then came back here."

Castor stared at him for a moment before turning to look at the ones behind him. When he saw Lucy, his sobs renewed and he ran over to her to apologize for not being there to stop her kidnapping.

Shortly after Castor calmed down, everyone else checked to see if Lucy was okay. Ever since they heard Castor tell them that she was kidnapped, they've been worried, but noticed that Harry, Natsu, and Happy weren't there with them, so they waited for them to return. Once they knew she wasn't harmed, they asked why Phantom Lord even kidnapped her in the first place, which led to Lucy explaining what Jose told her while she was being held captive.

Harry and the rest of the guild were angry at the fact that Lucy's father went so far to get her back. No father should ever do something like this. Harry can tell why she ran away; she didn't feel loved there anymore, but if the man wanted her back then he should have just come here to the guild himself and asked to come back home with him. Then Lucy pointed out that she ran away quite some time ago; long enough that made Harry realize that the man didn't really care all that much.

Lucy explained more, and Harry couldn't help but sigh at what he heard; her father is a rich business man. This is reminding him of that one job that led him to meet Castor. He hates rich guys that allow the power of money to go to their head. That kind of power should never, ever be used against their own child.

Harry was rubbing the faded, lightning bolt scar on his forehead to calm the headache that started to form. Everyone else in the guild is now planning on how to take down Phantom, while Lucy sat there looking as guilty as ever.

"Stop worrying, Lucy," Harry said. "Don't take credit that isn't yours to take."

Lucy looked up confused, and Gray joined in. "Harry's right. If anyone is to blame, it's your father."

"If he wanted you to come home, he could have just come here himself instead of throwing money around to guilds that take satisfaction in hurting others," Harry pointed out. "No father in their right mind would do something like this." 'Even though I never grew up with a father…' he thought sadly.

Lucy looked down again. "I know…" she didn't say anything else.

"I'm still confused about something," Happy said. "Why were you hiding it?"

"It wasn't so much that I was hiding it. I ran away from home, so I didn't want to talk about it," she explained. "He didn't care for a year, and now he did this to get me back. He's awful!"

Harry walked up to her again. She was about to say something else, but he stopped her. "Didn't you hear what we just said? It wasn't your fault. You ran away, and he didn't care until now. I just told you that if he wanted you back he could have just done this the easy by coming here himself like a normal person," he explained firmly. But before he could say anything else, or wait for Lucy to respond, Mira called for his help. "I'll be back shortly, guys."

Harry followed Mira to the back of the basement, where she and Cana are trying to find more help. Cana was looking for Mystogan, and Mira was on a communication lacrima with Laxus. Now Harry gets the feeling he knows why he was called for help. Mira was probably having a hard time trying to get Laxus' help with this situation they are in.

Mira points to the orb with Laxus' face in it. "Can you get him over here to help? He likes you the most. If you can't do it, then no one can," she said.

Harry nodded, but he feels like he's not going to be able to convince the lightning mage ether. "Laxus," he greeted.

"Oh hey, Harry. I should have known it was you they went to get," Laxus said. "They told you that they need my help, right? Well, I don't see why they need me when they got you. You may not be S-class yet, but I'm sure you will be at the next trail. You're strong enough to take on those pathetic fools. Although, I don't understand why you would fight them. The rest of the guild is so weak that Phantom would be doing me a favor!"

Harry sighed at what Laxus is telling him. "I'm guessing that means you won't be helping then?" he asked. Laxus grinned with an expression that said, what do you think? Harry sighed again. "Fine, but I'll remember that you didn't help us with this when you ask for my help with something."

"I'm sure there is nothing in this world that would have me ask for anyone's help. Anyway, it was nice talking to you, Harry. I'll see you when I get back to the guild, which will be after this stupid fight is over with. Bye!" With that, the communication lacrima turned off.

Harry jumped when he heard Cana's fist slam onto the table in front of her. "He is such a jerk! How in the world is he even in Fairy Tail!?" she shouted angrily.

Mira looked down sadly. "I don't know," she said softly.

Harry sighed for the third time in the span of a few minutes, before saying, "I tried, but I'm not surprised that it did nothing."

"What I want to know is where the heck Myst is!" Cana said frustrated.

"No idea, I could ask Fawkes, but he has a limit to how far away someone has to be before he could no longer pick them up," Harry said. "If he's not in town, then Fawkes won't be of much help then."

Cana looked over to him. "So, as big as this town is his limit? Well, I don't think he's here or else he would be helping us right now."

Before anything else could be said, they heard and felt what seemed to be something big moving outside. Harry started running for the doors, along with everyone else, and once outside, they all froze in shock. In front of them was the Phantom Lord's guild hall, but it was on legs and walking!

"What in the world…?!" Someone shouted, but Harry wasn't sure who.

Fawkes landed on his shoulder. {I got a bad feeling about this,} he said, which made Harry glare at him for a moment, but then the guild hall sat down. He was confused for a moment, but then he saw the front of the building open up to show a really big, no HUGE, cannon.

Harry's eyes widened in fear when he saw the thing start to charge up. He could feel the magical energy coming from it, and he couldn't think of any spell that could block it.

"Everyone, get down!" Erza said, but before she could start running forward to block the attack herself, Fawkes got in her way. He hovered in front of her while shaking his head from side to side. Harry was confused and scared as to why Fawkes was acting like that, but he didn't have much time to think on it anymore; the cannon fired.

As in slow motion, Harry watched the beam of magical energy come closer, but once it was half way between them and Phantom, he heard a voice in his head. The voice sounded male, but Harry wasn't sure. It only said two words that sounded like a name of a spell. So, he lifted his wand up to meet the beam, and right before it was about to hit them, Harry said, "Scutum Mortis!" A shield in the shape of a triangle with a circle and a vertical line within it appeared in front of him; shielding both he and his guildmates. The beam slammed into the shield, but the barrier didn't move an inch. It took the full force of the blast and made it seem like a stick hitting steel in an attempt to break it. The magical beam dissipated showing that not even a crack formed on the shield.

Now that Harry could see it more clearly, he saw that the shield took on the form of the deathly hallows. 'What just happened?'

TBC

This chapter is a lot shorter than the last one. I was in a writing kick last week, which is why I wrote so much, but it calmed down, hence why this is short. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the new spell I gave to Harry. It popped into my head one day a while back.

Voldy: Please tell me that the voice the brat heard wasn't…Death…

Enj/Dark: It was! :) I was going to have people guess it, but I decided not to. ;)

Harry: It would have been too easy to guess it, right?

Enj/Dark: Yup!

Zeref: Well, I bet that spell popped into you head like it did for Harry then.

Enj/Dark: You would be right.

Natsu: Please review and vote! XD